Beautiful campus

I visited BITS Pilani - Hyd yesterday. They have a beautiful campus. The architect has made use of that beautiful feature of this region-- the rocks-- while landscaping. The rocks here are like works of art, sculpted and polished and some apparently teetering on their toes.

I dislike dirty jokes. There is a stage in most boys-- when they are 10 years or so, when jokes like Maruti with a leak being Maruti Soosooki are extremely funny...they roll with laughter. I find dirty jokes just like that- only the people are not 10 years old and hence I find them more obnoxious. The AIB knockout was obnoxious-- I found the jokes not funny at all, only cringe-worthy.
So I discovered this thing.... a cross on the top right corner-I clicked it and Lo! behold the video went off and I was no more subjected to the horrible jokes.
I would like to share this discovery with all those who want it banned...People, just click on the cross on the top right....you will be offended no more. 

Every year, around this time of the year, a sunbird (I think) tries to build its nest on my clothes line. I try to discourage it hoping it will find a more suitable place, but I am often unsuccessful. many times, it has built its nest hanging on one wire. The nest is a marvel with a basket woven from twigs and leaves hung from the wire with a strong anchor. However, since it is hung by one woven loop, it swings whenever the wire moves and usually the amplitude of the swing is large and the eggs fall out. It saddens me when that happens which is why I discourage it from building its nest.
This year,  the sunbird has shown amazing intelligence. It has realised the problem and found a solution!
This year it has built its nest with two anchors on two parallel clothes lines! The nest does not swing if I am careful and so far so good...there seems to be an egg or maybe a hatchling inside. I don't dare to look too close in case it abandons the nest.

Science fair

I am planning a science fair again this year at the village school I volunteer at. I was very happy with last year's effort. The Youtube and Arvind Gupta's toys from trash are a god send for me, and I am planning to make full use of it this year.
I am getting a little over ambitious perhaps, but I am hoping one of the boys will be able to make a tiny wind turbine.
Unfortunately, I do very little Chemistry since the logistics are more difficult for Chem experiments and they need to be done repeatedly for each of the many visitors.
Today I went to buy some LED lights for the projects. The shop owner asked what it was for, and when I explained, he gave the LEDs free. Nice to meet good people.

Tamilisai

My mother learnt Carnatic music for a very short period when she was a girl, and was very good. She could have been a musician of renown, but due to various reasons, had to give up learning and did not achieve what she could have. However, in the later part of her life, she did sing on AIR programs and a few concerts in Madras. She also learnt Devaram and Prabandham.
In the past few years, my phone conversations with my mother would sometimes turn to music and she would tell me about Tamil music and how she thinks it is a neglected genre. She was quite knowledgeable about Devaram and Divyaprabandham. So I had suggested she write a blog, and had started one for her. She writes regularly and it has grown quite a lot in the last two years. For those who are interested in music and read Tamil, it is
http://lv-tamilisai.blogspot.in/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=49  

After the furious floods in Uttarakhand last year and J & K now, is there a possibilty that deforestation, encroachment into water bodies will be seriously prevented or controlled?

The HRD ministry/UGC has flexed its muscles and DU obeyed.
The original idea was that the first year of the UG program should be broad based. I agree that students need a broad based education. Students studying for a BCom degree do not know what diabetes is (the details of this story are rather hilarious, but perhaps left for another day).
Yes, some general education in the first year UG program is welcome. But they were taught quite a bit of biology, history, geography, civics in their schools. When asked "did you not learn this in school?" they just shrug it off........"who remembers?"
So when what was learnt in school is forgotten by the time they reach college, what is the guarantee that what is learnt in the first year will be remembered?

Most BSc students do not know anything about history, geography, or anything that's happening around them. Most BA students know no science. A broad based education is not given, and students are not experts in the subjects they study as their majors. So what do they know? Net result is that they are neither Jacks of all trades nor masters of any.
So perhaps three years or four years, just give them a general education such that they can at least read well and write well.
What used to be the goal of the middle school education should now be the goal of "higher education"